Welcome Home!!
Sequoia National Park - big tree grove
Lori in the Redwoods
one wet night in the Organ Pipe DesertOur last night on the moto ride south is being spent in Organ Pipe Desert Park where we pick up a remote campsite pass for Alamo Wash. This is truly a gorgeous spot but just before we hit the dirt road into Alamo Wash the skies opened up with a miserable cold rain that had us soaked by the time we hit the campsite and puddles in the tent by the time it was set up. It`s ironic that one of our last nights in the tent is our most miserable…but we slept surprisingly well and a beautiful Arizona day waits for us in the morning.
About 5 hours later we roll into Dick and Cathy’s place in Phoenix…a final hug and tears as our moto ride is over. We are really SAD…this has been a wonderful experience for us..we love it. Even though we miss all our friends and kids we want to keep going…unlike our Africa trip where we were actually looking forward to returning to Canada.
Dick and Cathy are the perfect hosts and by the time we leave the next day we feel like new people…clean and full of great food and even wearing some “new” clothes we stashed in the truck before we left.
Our next stop was a visit to Uncle Marty and Judy in El Centro..ironically enough we were only about 20km away from them 5 days ago when we travelled Mexico 2! (but didn’t know it) We spent a wonderful evening with them in their gorgeous 40 foot motorhome…now that is a comfortable way to travel!
Next stop is Sequoia National Park…oh so gorgeous covered in winter snows! Some of the trails were packed down and we managed to get some hiking in to see some of the largest trees in the world including the General Sherman Tree…the largest living organism in the world (1156 m3 of wood!) This is our third trip to this park…I for one just cannot get enough of these fantastic trees!
From the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains to the California/Oregon coast to see…more big trees. This time we camp and travel through a series of National and state parks full of the last intact groves of old growth Redwoods. Beautiful and impressive!
Now it’s a “road race” north. In Washington (near Kennewick) we get caught in the worst snow storm I have ever encountered. No kidding! I initially slowed down to 4X4 first gear low range at an idle when I could not see past the front of the hood..then it got worse! Lori started yelling at me to stop…and I was STOPPED..it felt like we were doing 30 mph at a dead stop…total whiteout vertigo! However we did manage to get the truck off the road (which was closed to traffic..that flashing light on the road traffic sign we passed should have been a warning..but seeing as our radio didn`t work…) and pull out our winter bags and settled in for a surprisingly enjoyable night in the front seat of the truck.
Crossing into Canada was super simple..no drugs…no guns..no fruit…no veggies…no seeds…no dirt…your free to go! Hello CANADA we love you!
About 5 hours later we roll into Dick and Cathy’s place in Phoenix…a final hug and tears as our moto ride is over. We are really SAD…this has been a wonderful experience for us..we love it. Even though we miss all our friends and kids we want to keep going…unlike our Africa trip where we were actually looking forward to returning to Canada.
Dick and Cathy are the perfect hosts and by the time we leave the next day we feel like new people…clean and full of great food and even wearing some “new” clothes we stashed in the truck before we left.
Our next stop was a visit to Uncle Marty and Judy in El Centro..ironically enough we were only about 20km away from them 5 days ago when we travelled Mexico 2! (but didn’t know it) We spent a wonderful evening with them in their gorgeous 40 foot motorhome…now that is a comfortable way to travel!
Next stop is Sequoia National Park…oh so gorgeous covered in winter snows! Some of the trails were packed down and we managed to get some hiking in to see some of the largest trees in the world including the General Sherman Tree…the largest living organism in the world (1156 m3 of wood!) This is our third trip to this park…I for one just cannot get enough of these fantastic trees!
From the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains to the California/Oregon coast to see…more big trees. This time we camp and travel through a series of National and state parks full of the last intact groves of old growth Redwoods. Beautiful and impressive!
Now it’s a “road race” north. In Washington (near Kennewick) we get caught in the worst snow storm I have ever encountered. No kidding! I initially slowed down to 4X4 first gear low range at an idle when I could not see past the front of the hood..then it got worse! Lori started yelling at me to stop…and I was STOPPED..it felt like we were doing 30 mph at a dead stop…total whiteout vertigo! However we did manage to get the truck off the road (which was closed to traffic..that flashing light on the road traffic sign we passed should have been a warning..but seeing as our radio didn`t work…) and pull out our winter bags and settled in for a surprisingly enjoyable night in the front seat of the truck.
Crossing into Canada was super simple..no drugs…no guns..no fruit…no veggies…no seeds…no dirt…your free to go! Hello CANADA we love you!
